Adrienne Feige
Research Mentor(s): Katherine Manz
Mentor Department: Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Authors: Katherine Manz, Adrienne Feige, Rachel Klein
Session: Session 4 (1:00pm – 1:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 5
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of persistent environmental contaminants associated with adverse health effects. Our study focuses on optimizing and validating an analytical method to quantify PFAS in human milk. Our workflow integrates sample processing (homogenization, extraction, etc.) and targeted high-resolution mass spectrometry for precise PFAS analysis. Human milk samples were homogenized using an ultrasonic processor to ensure uniform distribution of sample contents. Solid Phase Extraction was performed. The extracted samples were analyzed via targeted analysis of PFAS using high-resolution mass spectrometry, allowing for the identification and quantification with high sensitivity and specificity. Preliminary findings demonstrate the efficacy of this approach in achieving low detection limits and reproducible results across various PFAS compounds. Some challenges include matrix effects inherent to human milk and the optimization of extraction conditions to improve recovery rates. This research provides critical insights into analytical methodologies for biomonitoring PFAS exposure, public health risk assessment, and regulatory decision-making. Future work will focus on method refinement and application to larger sample sizes to further the understanding of PFAS levels in human milk.
